Tag Archives: Duterte appointees

komentaryo

Portrait of Spocky Farolan as UP Regent (Part 2)

Does this man deserve two blog entries?

Yes, for two reasons. One, he has not stopped. After he went ballistic on that first thread, he actually posted another status, this time saying that he might now be open to the proposal to make the State University a post-grad university, so that he doesn’t have to deal with UPCAT examinees anymore. He hashtagged this thoughtless assertion “Not really a proponent of this but I’m pissed so screw you” and “galit sa mga punyetang ingrato” and “I have been anger free for a while ngayon pumutok so putangina niyo.”

Two, while he *tries* to admit that he lost his temper when he shouldn’t have, he also spends as much time defending his original violent, angry, and absolutely uncalled for responses to the public on his Facebook page, saying that in fact, if you look at his thread, whenever there’s a proper comment, he actually responds properly as well.

That is not only the weakest excuse, it’s also a lie.  (more…)

komentaryo

Portrait of a Duterte appointee as UP Regent (Part 1)

One wanted to give UP Board of Regents member Spocky Farolan the benefit of the doubt, and imagine that whatever was posted by the Philippine Star on Twitter on April 7 about his response to UP entrance exam (UPCAT) takers on his Facebook wall was just taken out of context. But as I read through Farolan’s Facebook comments thread myself, I realized that what was tweeted by Philstar was but the tip of the iceberg.

This government official and Presidential appointee, went ballistic on social media unlike any Duterte appointee so far. This is a man who represents first of all the President of the Philippines in the UP Board of Regents, and here he was using foul language, calling K-12 graduates names, throwing invectives their way, and saying to kids and parents waiting for the UPCAT results that they didn’t have to go to UP anyway — UP doesn’t need them.

It’s easy to dismiss Farolan as just another one of Duterte’s men — after all, we’ve got many Farolans in Congress and the Senate, across the Cabinet and our government agencies. What else is new?

But what is new is that Farolan is speaking for the State University, which (we would like to think) is held to higher standards of professionalism and ethics and public service. This is not the kind of behaviour we stand for in the State U. In fact my UP education taught me to stand against displays of arrogance and entitlement such as that which Farolan displayed for all the world to see on social media.  (more…)

kultura

Lizaso at CCP: Death of culture (1)

The problems of the sectors of arts and culture in this country are multifarious, and there is no doubt that any of us cultural workers who are at the bottom of the totem pole can only believe in the possibilities of change, and look forward to it, too. Many of us try and work towards that change, but if cultural work is your bread and butter – and you’re not one of the lucky ones who comes from privilege to begin with – then you have no choice but to compromise along the way, work with institutions and hope to change these, be critical of the ways in which our creative freedoms (usually all we have) are disrespected or abused.

But as I’ve said before: President Duterte appointing the un-credentialed and inexperienced, incompetent and incredible, into positions of cultural power do nothing for our psyches, even less for our morale, and absolutely nothing for the conditions of our labor.

Installing someone like Nick Lizaso into the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), for no reason other than that you know him personally, and denying completely the right of the sector to decide for itself who it might want as leader – that is not any kind of change, President Duterte. (more…)

kultura

Stand against a Dept of Culture

It could be the lack of a real functional communications team, or maybe just the general disinterest in what happens to the cultural sector, but none of President Duterte’s moves so far has been about doing right by culture.

While we might think the downward spiral started with the self-proclamation of Freddie Aguilar as head of the non-existent department of culture, which according to him meant being offered the position of National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) head instead, I tend to see the downward spiral to have begun with the appointment of Liza Diño into the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

All that I have said about that appointment stands: the mandate and functions of that office are clear, the requirements for an appointee, too. Diño has none of those credentials, and by agreeing to this appointment pretty much pisses on the law that created this office to begin with. (more…)